Boone studied him. “What if we burn down the house?”
Yeah, fire was probably on their minds still. “I wouldn’t hit you, but I’d make you help rebuild it.”
Belle smiled. “That’s good.”
He waited for the tougher sell. “Boone?”
She eyed him. “What if we get sick or throw up?”
“Then I’ll clean it up and get you medicine.” That one was easy.
“Okay.” Boone’s smile was smaller but there nonetheless.
He relaxed. “So. We’re going home now, where we live with your aunts and uncles, who are also known as the Seven. You’re going to love it there, and they’re going to love you. For now, how about you help me pick a ring for your mama?” He had some pictures on his phone.
“Green ring,” Belle said.
“Blue,” Boone contradicted.
He smiled. “We can make that happen.”
* * * *
Karma laughed as Benny swung her up in his arms to cross the threshold of his home in Seven territory. She loved the open floor plan with the expansive view of the river, although they’d have to figure out a way to keep the girls safe from drowning. They ran in behind them, chattering happily.
Benny set her on her feet and stared out the window. “The river.”
“I know.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek.
He looked down at the girls. “We can build a fence around the backyard for now, and we’ll start swimming lessons in the spring.” He jolted. “If that’s okay with you.”
She smiled. “Of course that’s okay with me.” It might take him a while to make decisions without checking in with her, and that was just sweet.
He tugged on her ear. “You doing okay? With everything?”
If he meant her still-tingling back, then yes. The marking was awesome. If he meant the fact that she’d vanquished a spirit, then probably. She’d had no idea she could send the obnoxious ones away that easily. Maybe she could develop the skill so it happened naturally. All of a sudden, she had so much faith in the two of them and in herself, and part of that confidence came from Benny. “I’m fantastic.”
He glanced toward the girls. “There are two bedrooms past the fireplace. Choose which one you want to share and then we can start decorating.” When they ran off, he looked at Karma. “They should share for a while, right? Since they’re only around three years old?”
“Right.” She looked around her new home. It was perfect.
He also looked around. “You can redecorate all you want. We’re loaded. One of the benefits of living for so long.”
Loaded? Fun.
The girls ran back in, having chosen the bedroom closest to the fireplace.
Benny cleared his throat, and they halted, their expressions sobering. Slowly, they walked up on either side of him, facing her. A giant of a male and two tiny little girls, all with softness in their eyes.
She tilted her head.
Benny gracefully knelt down on one knee, and the twins followed suit, looking adorable in new jeans and cute sweaters. One blue and one green.
Karma smiled. “What are you doing?”
Benny looked a little pale. Interesting. “We want to ask you to marry us.”
Boone hopped up and down. “Yes. Marry us, and we’ll be a family.”
Belle leaned forward. “If you say yes, you gets a ring we ordered. It’s pretty.”
Karma looked at her little family. Her chest just up and exploded with so much love her body couldn’t contain it all. They were hers. Eventually, there would be little hybrid boys to join the family since vampire hybrids only made boys. They were all going to have a life full of love, laughter, and adventure. She just knew it. “Yes.”
The girls nearly bowled her over with hugs, followed by Benny, who picked all three of them right off the ground, holding them securely. “Life is good, baby.”
“No,” she whispered. “Life is perfect.”
And it was.
Epilogue
“Benny, hurry up, would you?” Karma waited on the chilly front porch as her family finished getting ready inside. They’d taken to calling themselves the Three Bs Club. Oh, they’d offered to give her a B nickname so she could join, but she liked that they had their own thing. Plus, it was easy to talk the B Club into doing chores since they did so as a group. She smiled at her freshly decorated pumpkins and swished her pirate costume around her legs.
The door opened, and the trio walked outside.
Her mouth dropped wide open. “Oh my goodness.”
“We’re princesses,” Boone yelled, rocking back and forth on shiny blue heels. She wore a very sparkly blue dress with a tiara atop her long dark hair.
“Yeah,” Belle yelled even louder, dressed in a similar outfit that was bright green.
But it was Benny that captured Karma’s attention. She fought a full-out laugh. “Benjamin.”
He looked down at his sparkling purple dress and ridiculously high heels. “This is becoming a bad habit. Twice in a lifetime is enough.” The tiara on his head tilted dangerously to the side.
“We’re the Three Bs,” Belle chirped. “We hafta dress the same this year, and we voted. Two against one.”
Karma nearly choked on a chuckle. “What did Benny want?”
“To be cats,” Boone said, hopping happily. “He lost.”
Benny sadly shook his head, his eyes sparkling.
Her heart turned over once again, as it did often with her mate. They were about to trick-or-treat in the Seven subdivision, and he’d face all of the warriors in that dress that had no doubt been a shower curtain at one time. Yet he didn’t care. It was all about making the girls happy.
Benny took a small hand in each of his. “We’ll hit each house and then the storage buildings. I believe we have people stationed at each one.”
She shook her head and took Boone’s free hand. “How much candy did you buy, anyway?”
He shrugged. “Dunno. I had to buy enough that there would be some left when Mercy was done. We’ll only eat a little each night.”
“Yeah,” Boone said right before Belle chimed in with her agreement.
“All right,” Karma said, her stomach still rolling from the chocolate she’d eaten earlier that day. “Afterward, maybe we could sit on the porch swing for a while. Just you and me.” The girls had found a new TV show with dinosaurs they loved, and she’d make sure it was on.